Erdogan Bargained Away Both Aleppo and the Opposition

We are on verge of the 7th anniversary of the Syrian crisis, and the Syrian opposition based in Turkey are still unable to act. This is why the majority of the opposition can be described as failures, though this description is too soft given the big revolutionary tasks and developmental visions that come to mind when mentioning the term “opposition”. This failure is the main reason why the tyrannical regime still exists despite the opposition’s expectation that it would collapse soon. If we examine the reasons of this failure, we’ll find out that they can be attributed to the opposition themselves as well as to the circumstances under which they have been working. To begin with, the political line of the opposition has not been clear; and because they are being backed by different countries, they have lost the ability to take national decisions to bring the freedom and dignity to the people, as they claimed in the beginning of the revolution. They have abandoned the Syrian people to their fate amid violence and destruction. Moreover, they have been working for contradicting regional and international agendas, which are against the national interest of Syrian people.

Furthermore, the absence of a democratic project, seeking money and positions contrary to people’s aims and interests, lack of political efficiency and working outside the Syrian soil are all factors that paved the way for radical groups supported by the Turkish government to militarily control a lot of regions and tear the country apart. Such opposition are valueless and can’t have any effect on the course of history due to their negative role which hinders the Syrian revolution.

Although the Turkish plans and military intervention and occupation of some Syrian areas have been disclosed, this opposition continue to serve the Turkish agendas and fiercely defend them. Thus, the gap has become wider between the Syrian people and those who consider themselves the legitimate representatives of the Syrian people, like the “Syrian Coalition” and before it the “Syrian National Council” and many other groups of opposition. These groups seek their personal interests and work to execute the Turkish regime’s greed and projects; thus they are rendered disposable.

Erdogan has abandoned the opposition by handing Aleppo to Russia and the regime. The opposition should have endorsed a democratic project to serve the national interest and build a new Syria for all its components. They should have truly expressed the hopes of the Syrians to have a safe homeland where people feel respected. They should have practiced what they preached to deserve the respect of the Syrian revolutionaries and lead them at this crucial stage. However, they have accepted to be cheap agents used by the “ottoman sultan” to execute his greed for expansion in Syria and legitimize Turkish occupation of Jarablus and other areas. This also applies to some Kurds, who work under the banner of the “ottoman coalition”, who have been unmasked in front of their people and who have been backing Daesh and the Turkish government against Kurdish people and all Syrian components.

The founders of the democratic self-administrations are those who have defeated the terrorist organizations and will fight them wherever they exist. They represent the secular democratic opposition who work with the other groups, parties and Syrian political figures to form a nucleus of a secular democratic front and a foundation for the democratic change. This front will have to do a lot of tasks, such as unifying the war-torn country, joining effort to boost the democratic political process, getting rid of the dictatorship after draining all sources of terrorism and achieving safety and stability in Syria.

Turkey has been manipulating the opposition at the expense of the Syrian bloodshed. Therefore, we have refused to establish a link with it and preferred to follow a third line to implement our democratic project. We have chosen to be part of the Syrian society, region, and the whole world against terrorism to achieve the democratic change. We always hope to expand this front as it is the national democratic alternative in Syria. We would like, also, to make balanced relationships with all the countries in the region and the whole world.

The question remains: Are the opposition waiting for all Syria to be sold?